The Wake by Khaleb Brooks selected as the New Memorial to Victims of Transatlantic Slavery, London

London played a key role in the organisation and funding of transatlantic slavery, but while there are numerous statues and buildings reflecting the wealth and power created by the trade in enslaved African people and monuments to commemorate the abolition, there is little to remember the millions of African people who were enslaved.

Announced on the UNESCO International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, the new memorial will feature a nearly seven-metre-high bronze cowrie shell. Cowrie shells hold cultural and spiritual significance, but became a stark symbol of slavery and the exploitation of human life as currency. The Wake acknowledges that dark past but also reclaims the cowrie shell as a symbol of resilience, creating a space for contemplation and reflection.

There will also be a number of smaller shells installed at other locations that have connections to the trade of enslaved people, recognising that the legacy of transatlantic slavery is still present the capital.

Khaleb’s work was chosen from a shortlist of six proposals by an Artistic Advisory Panel of experts from the field of art, academia and public realm following a public consultation period.

The creation of the memorial has been made possible thanks to a £500,000 funding pledge by the Mayor. It is part of the work of the Mayor’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, which focuses on better representation of the breadth and diversity of the capital’s population and history. The memorial is planned to be unveiled in 2026.